Alone on the Tenth Mile
by Sasukeluva 4eva
Summary: Haruno Sakura never knew the TRUE dangers of picking up hitchhikers until it was already FAR too late for salvation... Sasuke x Sakura Lemon, Blood/Mass-murder/Gore/Violence/Swearing/Smut, please R&R!
1. Hitting The Road

**a/n: I think I have given up all hope for my sanity at this point in time... it makes me wonder how all of those authors out there manage to write and post so many stories without wanting to kill themselves... then again, that urge is a constant thing for me, so I really can't complain.**

**Disclaimer: IDNON, BIDHTOS! That is all.**

_Summary: Haruno Sakura never knew the __**true**__ dangers of picking up hitchhikers until it was already __**far**__ too late for salvation..._

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Categories: Horror, Suspense, Angst, Romance

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**Sasukeluva 4eva presents;**

_**~Alone on the Tenth Mile~**_

_Sasuke x Sakura Lemon AU Fanfic_

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Chapter 1

Hitting The Road

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It had been so long since Haruno Sakura had had a road-trip... even if she _had_ been doing so without the company of others... it was times like this that made the rosette ache and long for Ino's inane, pointless chatter, and Naruto's incessant whining... then again, had she _actually_ taken them along for the ride, not only would it be that she would _never_ get any peace and quiet, but she knew that it may have literally gotten to the point where she chucked them out of her car and drove off, leaving them abandoned and more or less left for dead in the darkening wilderness.

As much as she loved them, she knew it would be a giant play on her part just to allow them to tag along, what with her famous short temper and all, and she dearly did not want to take such a risk; she was doing it for their safety after all—protecting them from her unforgivable wrath and fury.

She _knew_ she was _more_ than liable to do such a thing to them, not to mention the fact that she would _indefinitely_ trade them over to the clutches of nature in order to get a few hours of much deserved quietude.

So it was definitely a no-go on letting them accompany her.

Letting out an inaudible sigh, the pinkette gazed solemnly at the road ahead of her, the soft thrum of her car's engine purring steadily, reassuring the slightly anxious young woman as she drove along the densely populated highways, clicking her tongue every so often in inclined frustration as she thwacked her index and middle fingers on the steering wheel, hoping to entertain her patience with the meagre distraction; it did very little to amuse her, so she just settled for plugging in her iPod whilst waiting for the cues to thin out a little (she was quite literally sandwiched between a rather larger and imposing truck to her rear, and a much smaller buggy to her front), attaching it to her stereo system before setting her playlist on shuffle, the soft melody of classical music wafting into the tense atmosphere until Sakura felt her muscles loosen up in response, her contented sigh enough to bring her some peace of mind as she slowly crawled toward her desired intersection.

Although it wasn't her favourite genre of music, she had to admit that when her blood began boiling profusely, signalling her pissed off-ed-ness (her very intelligent non-word for describing her violent mood swings), she found that its calm, soothing vibes did wonders for her blood pressure, so she continued to listen to it thereafter. Her particular favourite was 'Fur Elise' by Beethoven.

All piano-related pieces aside, Sakura enjoyed the general emotion that was portrayed in the song's every note; she had played the piano for many years, but could never quite capture the appropriate feelings for it—she had played solely by reading the notes, and not listening to what her _heart_ was trying to convey for her.

That was where she had fallen in her brief stint as a show performer.

She just lacked the so called 'passion' that was necessary in order to be claimed a _true_ pianist.

Of course, back then her childish mind could not comprehend those words, but now, as an adult... every miniscule detail that was reflected in each instrument's solo was unjustifiably beautiful, bringing a new layer to the song's portrayal and reception—it was only _now_ that Sakura had _fully_ grasped the pull that such music had, and it was then that she had grown to be quite fond—even _appreciative_—of it.

Smiling excitedly when the rosette saw her intersection coming up, Sakura couldn't help but feel the need to say a temporary goodbye to her beloved Konoha, knowing that her three month vacation in the countryside of Waterfall was going to be quite trying indeed; she _did_ love Japan as much as any native did, after all.

With a rushed "Sayonara!", Sakura veered to the right, taking a turn onto a less traffic-filled highway, before gradually picking up her speed, meeting the road's standard eighty mile mark; finally the thick crowds seemed to be easing out!

Emitting a wordless sigh of relief, Sakura began to hum softly with the song that was now playing, the words always leaving a heavy imprint upon her no matter where she went.

* * *

_You never go_

You're always here (suffocating me)

Under my skin

I cannot run away

Fading slowly

I'd give it all to you

Letting go of me

Reaching as I fall

I know it's already over now

Nothing left to lose

Loving you again

I know it's already over, already over now

My best defence, running from you

I can't resist, take all you want from me

Breaking slowly

I'd give it all to you

Letting go of me  
_  
Reaching as I fall_

I know it's already over now

Nothing left to lose

Loving you again

I know it's already over, already over now!

You're all I'm reaching for

It's already over  
_  
All I'm reaching for!_

It's already over now

I'd give it all to you

I offer up my soul

It's already over, already over now!

Give it all to you

Letting go of me

Reaching as I fall

I know it's already over now

Nothing left to lose

Loving you again!

I know it's already over now!

It's already over now!

I know it's already over, already over!

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The lyrics always managed to remind her of the past relationship that she had ended some years ago with a boy that she had truly adored with her whole heart... of course, he had been cheating on her behind her back, and to add to that, he even went as far as _stalking_ her for several long months after that, trying to force her back into his grasp; but from that experience she had matured enough to realise that no matter how much she had once loved him, what he had done was despicable and sickening, enough so that she called the federal police on him and had his ass jailed for five, long years without parole.

Something about that thought was direly comforting.

Sakura subliminally gnawed on her bottom lip carefully as she watched the cars around her eventually disperse and fade from her sight, leaving her alone to face the daunting silence and quite terrifying nakedness of the land; perhaps it would have been a better idea to have had Ino and Naruto accompany her after all...

Cursing over her silent discomfort of being left stranded by herself in the middle of nowhere, Sakura slowly felt herself gather enough courage to press down a little harder on the gas pedal, speeding up to meet her destination.

Or perhaps the reason she felt so anxious was because she just wanted to arrive at her baa-chan's country villa before the night arrived? Not that that was to happen any time soon, seeing as it was more than twelve-thousand miles away, and she had barely made the tenth.

Ironically enough though, just as she was about to increase the speed of her car, the rosette spotted a looming figure sauntering casually on the side of the road, his hand extended with the thumb held up as if in a gesture to say 'Good job!' But Sakura knew far better of its intention.

Whoever was standing alongside the abandoned highway walking with their hand outstretched in such a manner was actually seeking a lift to some place nearby... or were simply stalling to get more mileage out of her.

Normally Sakura would have instantly driven past without a hint of remorse, but there was something about this person that made her want to pull over and ask if they needed a hand getting somewhere.

And you know what?

That's _exactly_ what she did.

"Excuse me, but do you happen to need a lift anywhere?"

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**a/n: Well, I prolong the suspense by ending here!**

**I'll bet you can't guess who the hitchhiker actually is! **

**And I'm telling you now, it is definitely NOT who you're thinking it is! So no assumptions just yet! **

**So, please review if you want me to continue on this one or not!  
**

**And the song I used was _'Already Over' _by **Red**, one of my all-time favourite songs, and also the name of one of my other fanfics!**

**Until next time!**

**Ja! x)**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***


	2. Collecting New Companions

**a/n: Wow, people really seem to like this story! I'm glad! I kind of do too! :D So much so that I've decided to continue it! So, here I give you chapter two! **

**Enjoy! (:  
**

**NOTE: ****And when I said (last chapter) '12,000 miles left to go, and she was barely on then tenth', I meant that in the sense of TEN. As in, on the 10****th**** mile, out of 12,000 something or others! ;) Like the title of this story suggests!**

**Disclaimer: IDNON, BIDHTOS! That is all.**

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_Recap:_

__

Normally Sakura would have instantly driven past without a hint of remorse, but there was something about this person that made her want to pull over and ask if they needed a hand getting somewhere.

And you know what?

That's exactly what she did.

"Excuse me, but do you happen to need a lift anywhere?"

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Chapter 2

Collecting New Companions

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In all honesty, Sakura hadn't known what to expect when she pulled over at the side of the road to see if the lone individual had needed any assistance; her inner (along with her frantic mother, and of course Ino and Naruto) had literally shrieked like an insane psychopath, telling her to stop her crazy moment and speed off down the highway, as originally planned.

Unfortunately, being the curious and rebellious being that she was, Sakura just _had_ to ignore their warnings, and continued doing what she was, pulling over until she had made a complete stop next to the questionable person outside her car; that was it, all that stood in the way of safety and danger—that single car door.

But it was far too late for regrets now. She had just caught the attention of the lone individual.

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Well.

This was certainly... interesting.

Sakura had literally done a double-take upon the sight of the beautiful woman that had been walking alone, in the middle of a _hot_ Japanese day, _in the middle of nowhere _(seriously, like, wasn't she afraid of being picked up or kidnapped by a rapist or mass murderer?); long, violet-black locks that far surpassed Sakura's in both length and lustre, smooth, creamy white skin that had taken on a light tan of pinkish red (sunburn is a _bitch_), and most prominent of all, her pale violet eyes that seemed fathomless without the proper pupil—all in all, she was what Sakura would have imagined to be distant royalty, or more so of a prominent family.

She was just that fucking _breathtaking_.

And with a killer bod like _that_, it was a surprise that half the hormone-driven male drivers' (ironic, is it not that they are on a road when described as such)—or female, whatever floats your boat really—hadn't pulled over and offered her a ride.

Somehow Sakura found herself grateful that she had suddenly stopped to help her out; it would be a shame to see such beauty go to waste.

But what Sakura found most amusing was the utter _shyness_ and timidity that the young woman had shrouded herself with; it seemed that her voice was like a faulty record, and would sometimes get stuck on one note, before switching to another!

The rosette was highly amused by this silent similarity, so much so that she had to cough to cover her fit of giggles; the girl had cocked her head questioningly, before blushing when she realised that she was possibly being rude by doing so, and would inevitably lose her one chance at a free ride.

"S-S-S-S-S-Sorry, M-M-Miss! I-I w-was b-be...i-ing r-rude! M-M-My n-n-name i-is H-H-H-H-H-Hinata!"

The young woman squeaked in a high pitched soprano, bringing Sakura to the edge; she couldn't contain it any longer.

How could a girl stutter so much in _one_ sentence, let alone _six_ _times_ on her _own_ name?

"_Hergn_! _Hergn_! _Mfph_! _Mfph_! Pbbffftahahahahaha! Sorry! I'm _really_ sorry, but that was—! That was _priceless_! I have _never_ met _anyone_ that has ever stuttered so much in their lives, let alone in a single sentence!"

Sakura gasped through broken breaths as she tried to regain her composure, before she realised she could have possibly offended this woman more than she had intended (hey, in light of the moment, it had all been in good fun, not to make Hinata feel bad about herself); straightening her figure, the rosette turned to face the girl, a friendly smile lingering on her lips as she extended a hand out to the ravenette, her mouth opening to speak.

"I didn't mean to offend you in any way or form, Hinata-san, but if I managed to do so, then I sincerely apologise. To make up for it, not only will you get a free ride from me, but I'll treat you to lunch, alright? I'm Sakura, by the way."

The girl looked clearly surprised and strangely enough meekly bashful as she held out her dainty, small hand, clasping Sakura's gently as they shook on a politer basis; now this was more like it. Now Sakura had company on her trip.

Hey, perhaps she could accompany her to her grandma's lodge in the countryside?

That would be extremely pleasant indeed.

"P-P-Pleasure t-t-to m-meet y-your a-acquaintance, S-S-Sakura-san. A-And n-no o-o-offence t-t-taken. I-I-I g-get t-that a-a l-lot f-from m-my r-relatives t-too, s-s-so I-I'm u-used t-to i-it."

Hinata offered sheepishly, a fleck of pink dusting her creamy cheeks as she smiled somewhat uncomfortably at Sakura; it seemed that they'd have to get to know one another first of all before any more could be established between them.

Which was fine with Sakura; she wouldn't skip out on the opportunity to have some female company for once, rather than being constantly swarmed with boys (with the exception of Ino, but she blended in _pretty_ damned well with them as it was...). Starting her engine once again, Sakura slowly made her way towards the side of the road, travelling at speeds a little faster than both were used to, before she took the closest exit to the right, number thirteen to be exact; why was it that bad things were _always_ associated with that particular number...?

And why was it that dread and anxiety pooled in the pinkette's gut, even as she conversed happily with the slightly more open hitchhiker that sat across from her?

One thing was for sure—whatever the reason, Sakura had a feeling that it would have something to do with a situation that would be _far_ out of her control.

Little did she know how right she was, and how that even if she went to scream, no one could hear her whilst she remained in the middle of the endless thirteenth highway.

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"—and then she shrieked at the top of her lungs, 'Oh my fucking _god_, what have you done to my now deflated soufflé, you slurry-assed biatch?' Man, those were some good times!"

Hinata and Sakura laughed together as they shared similar experiences, memories that they held dear to their hearts, but also the ones that were born with the specific purpose of being told to another; they had been laughing so hard, in fact, that on one occasion, Sakura had almost swerved into a random tree that had seemingly materialised out of nowhere, leading to the pair telling less potentially _disastrous_ stories to one another until _after_ they made it to their pit-stop for the evening—they still had another three hours to kill until then.

"So, Hinata-san... if you don't mind my asking, why is it that such an attractive young woman like you is wandering aimlessly around in the middle of nowhere? You don't have to answer of course, but I was just wondering..."

Sakura trailed off, not sure whether what she had asked was a viable option, one that was acceptable within reason; she was, after all, only entitled to know why she had been walking alongside one of the longest highway routes known in Japan.

Hinata seemed to have visibly tensed with the arrival of the more serious, non-playful question, before she sighed, a small, feeble sad smile flaking over her plump lips as she gazed solemnly at her hands, which currently lay in her lap entwined together.

"I-I w-was... r-running a-away, I-I g-guess..."

Now that was a shocker.

Why would she need to run away from her family, her home, her everything?

"Why? I mean, I don't quite understand what there is that you could possibly be running from—"

"I-It doesn't m-matter! I-I sh-shouldn't have s-said a-anything! S-Sorry S-Sakura-san."

And with that, a formidable, tense silence followed, straining for a good half hour, before Sakura raised her slightly tilted gaze to the side of Hinata's tragically saddened face, before she whispered a soft, "I'm sorry about before. I know it's personal, but I feel as if I've finally met someone who isn't loud and boisterous like my other friends at home, someone who shares similar experiences with me, someone who shares the same interests, and someone who is like _me_. Someone that can appreciate another without feeling the need to promote it to the world. But in all honesty, I can understand where you're coming from. In a way, I guess I'm running away right now too..."

Hinata's glazed gaze snapped up to meet Sakura's strangely complacent one, which was staring ahead at the road so intently one might think that she hadn't have spoken, or moved an inch, in all the time that they had been engulfed in awkward, constraining silence, her pale irises wide with astonished surprise as the rosette gradually picked up her pace, watching the gas in her tank slowly ebb away to a stop; she barely had a hundred litres left, at most, and was anxiously seeking out a sign that pointed in the direction of a fuel-stop, or perhaps even a motel.

Sakura had expected Hinata to remain her somewhat usual quiet self (funny how she had noted her tendencies already in the short time that they had known each other), but what she hadn't seen coming in the least was a reply.

"I-I r-ran a-away b-because m-my f-f-f-father i-intends o-on h-having m-me w-wed a-a m-man I-I d-don't e-even k-know! I-I c-couldn't t-take the h-heat a-an p-pressure, s-so I-I d-did t-the o-only t-thing that c-came t-to mind! I-I r-r-ran a-away l-like a c-c-coward! B-But I-I just d-don't w-want to g-get married t-to a m-man I-I d-don't e-even c-care about!"

Okay, so she had stuttered less in this particular speech.

But still a lot for a single individual alone.

"Ugh, now that's just _harsh_! Your father shouldn't be allowed to choose _for you_, Hinata-san—"

"B-But t-that's just i-it! H-He _c-can_, b-because h-he i-is the h-head o-of my c-c-clan!"

"Clan?"

"Y-Yes. I-I a-am a p-part o-of the H-H-Hyuuga f-family, the o-oldest d-daughter o-of H-Hiashi."

Wait a second, rewind that part.

"You're the member of a _rich_ family, you've _run_ _away_, and you're in _my car_? Oh _god_, does this mean that if they track you to _me_, they'll think I'm some loony that kidnapped you and dragged you off to some hidden fortress in the middle of the desert?"

Hyperventilating, Sakura had a nasty panic attack, thinking that perhaps this trip wasn't the best of ideas.

But it was the _only_ way she could get away from _his_ threatening letters and phone calls; there was no other way.

She _had_ to leave there, if only temporarily, and hope that he believed that she had left, as she had told her friends to say in case of any other forms of abusive contact reached their ears and or eyes.

"D-Don't w-worry, S-Sakura-san, I-I haven't a-anything on m-me that they c-can t-track, s-so you're s-safe!"

Hinata said with a cute smile, her eyes warming as she continued to watch the girl scream at the top of her lungs, eyes watering with fake tears as she did her best to put on the most convincing act of her life, where she could cheer the poor girl up, even at the cost of some of her dignity.

It was the very least she could do, after all.

* * *

"Urrrrggghh! I am so fucking _tired_! That road never ends, I swear to fucking god!"

Sakura bit out grumpily, a playful edge still detectable if sought out; in this case, Hinata couldn't withhold her giggles, waltzing behind Sakura as she stomped toward the cashier shop, where she could stop in to pay for her fuel, and ask for two beds for the night; it was fairly late now, dark light filtering the otherwise chilly, frostbitten evening air as the pair made their way to the doorway.

Hinata was observant enough to pick out the sign on the door that said _'Careful; watch your step!'_, pointing out that there was a ledge that had to be stepped over in order to successfully avoid tripping, but unfortunately, in Sakura's case, she was not so lucky; before the ravenette could even stutter out her cry of warning, it was already too late.

Sakura had pushed open the door, her emerald orbs lidded heavily as she didn't bother lifting her feet, stepping forward casually only to realise seconds later that she was toppling towards the hard, tiled ground of the servo; that is, until her small frame collided with a much larger one, strong arms immediately snaking around her waist habitually as the stranger helped her regain her balance.

Shaking off her sudden wave of nausea, Sakura stepped backwards shakily, raising her clouded emerald orbs up to meet that of the most beautiful man she had ever had the pleasure of seeing in her entire life.

Spiky raven hair, long bangs framing his pale, aristocratic facial structure, strong, well-defined cheekbones (amongst other things; Sakura had felt the size of his Pecs and sixer, and _wow_ didn't even _cut it_), a sharp yet smoothly angular nose, and thick, long black lashes that framed impossibly breathtaking obsidian pools of pure onyx; he was beautiful, godly even.

His features remained impassive as he gazed back at her with an unreadable expression, but before Sakura had even registered it, she had shifted back so that she could move out of his way, a faint trickle of red painting her cheeks as she locked gazes with the ground; now she was incredibly ashamed and embarrassed of herself.

"You alright?"

Oh _god_, that _voice_!

Sexy was an injustice so immense it could plausibly lead to death as its sentence.

Before Sakura could summon her own voice in reply, however, Hinata's soft soprano lilted into the otherwise quiet atmosphere.

"S-Sasuke-kun..?"

What?

She _knew_ him?

Sakura's eyes lifted up in time to see this 'Sasuke's' eyes darken considerably with an emotion unrecognisable to Sakura, before he murmured a soft whisper in response.

"It's been a while... ne... _Hina-chan_?"

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**a/n: Muahahahahaha, monster cliffie! XD **

**Well, at least I'd like to **_**think**_** it is! (:  
**

**Hope you guys liked this! **

**Sorry for the long wait! **

**Life is life, c'est la vie, mes amies! **

**Please review guys! **

**The horror starts from here on out, just so ya know! ;) **

**Until next time then!  
**

**Ja ne! x)  
**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***


	3. Old Acquaintances

**a/n: Another new chapter! Fuck yeah, you guys actually like this one! XD You have absolutely no idea how happy this fact makes me, and because of this, I have decided to update again! ^.- Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: IDNON, BIDHTOS! That is all.  
Disclaimer #2: I do not own the lyrics to the song **_**'Haru Haru'**_**; all rights reserved belong the **Big Bang**, and suing me would be pointless, as I am dirt poor. Literally. :/**

* * *

_Recap:_

"_S-Sasuke-kun..?" _

_What? She __**knew**__ him? _

_Sakura's eyes lifted up in time to see this 'Sasuke's' eyes darken considerably with an emotion unrecognisable to Sakura, before he murmured a soft whisper in response. _

_"It's been a while... ne... __**Hina-chan**__?"_

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Chapter 3

Old Acquaintances

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To say that Sakura was simply stunned would be a complete understatement; if anything, shocked and albeit rather uncomfortable seemed far more appropriate for this situation.

So Hinata was acquainted with this 'Sasuke' person?

Since when?

Obviously it had to have been before the two girls had met earlier that day, but that was beside the point of the matter.

The pinkette had never been one for prying—or to any extent a nosy person that liked nothing more than to find out what she was missing from the picture coughlikeInocough (especially since it involved a guy as hot as they come, which is never)—but she hated feeling out of the loop, especially since she had grown quite fond and protective of the ravenette (only recently discovered as the main Hyuuga branch's heiress).

"Er, Hinata-chan? If you don't mind my asking... uhm... you know this man...?"

As if broken out of a painfully long stupor, Hinata snapped her awed gaze from this 'Sasuke' person to Sakura's almost well and truly forgotten profile, her face colouring with embarrassment as the realisation dawned upon her.

"G-G-G-G-Gomenesai, S-S-S-S-S-Sakura-s-san! I-I-I-I d-didn't m-m-mean t-t-t-to b-be s-so r-r-r-rude!"

Sakura couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh, a wry smile making its way to her lips as she slowly ran a petite hand through her long bubblegum locks, a gesture that was commonly associated with stress when it came to the pinkette.

"Back to being a 'stutter-bug', are we, Hinata-chan? And after all of that progress too!"

Sakura joked tiredly, her emerald orbs taking on a glazed sheen as she finally reopened them, raising her head so that she had both of the familiars within her focal region; this day had just gone from boring and uneventful to loaded and exhausting—what a quick flip from the opposing side, and all because Sakura had dutifully stopped to help a fellow female get to her next destination.

'Sasuke' was seemingly amused by the exchange between the two women, as a single, finely manicured eyebrow raised in response to their antics, but beneath the depths of his fathomless charcoal orbs was something bordering sinister and plain _evil_...

Shaking off her derailed thoughts, Sakura returned to kindly joking about Hinata's shier tendencies, said woman flushing an even darker shade of scarlet as she fidgeted uncontrollably, unknowingly shifting closer to Sasuke's protective figure; Sakura didn't know why it was, but she suddenly felt a surge of jealousy rearing its ugly head.

Although she had spent only a few short hours with Hinata, she was not pleased to see her getting so comfortable around someone else; even if they _had_ only had a minimal amount of contact, that didn't mean to say that she was going to _endanger_ the ravenette with her very presence.

Where was the trust that they had established?

"I-I-I-It w-was r-r-rude o-of m-me t-to n-not i-i-introduce y-you a-at f-first i-instance! S-S-S-Sakura-ch-chan, t-this i-is m-my o-oldest a-and c-closest f-friend S-Sasuke-kun. S-Sasuke-kun, t-this i-is S-S-Sakura-ch-chan! S-She h-helped m-me out w-while I-I was... e-er... mm..."

Hinata trailed off, a hint of shame crossing her features as she gazed at the ground beneath their feet, Sasuke's disapproving expression boring into the side of her head.

"_Hinata_."

The warning tone in his voice was enough to even have Sakura backing away, if only a little, before she realised that Hinata was not safe so close to this man; even if they _did_ go back and have an entire history together, the rosette would not tolerate him hurting her new friend in any way, shape or form. Gathering confidence, Sakura strode over, shifting her frame so that she safely shielded the ravenette from any impending harm that may have befallen her.

Both parties seemed to be shocked by her move, but for different reasons; Sasuke because no one had ever opposed him before, let alone stood in his way when he was seeking something of someone, and Hinata because no one had ever stood up for not only her rights, but to protect her from harm as well.

"Get out of my way, woman."

Sasuke snapped angrily, chiding her with a malicious tone oozing vehemence as the pinkette flinched ever so slightly, before composing herself and shaking her head in declination to his demand. Never had either of the girls seen someone as terrifyingly frightening as they were now.

"S-S-Sakura-chan! Please move! Sasuke-kun is d-dangerous when he i-is r-riled up!"

Hinata cried in anxious panic, her heart constricting as she watched Sasuke's features morph into something far more sinister.

Even as Sakura felt her body tremble and her inner screaming at her to move the fuck out of the way, she remained rooted to the spot, unmoving as she stared him down; in all honesty, she had no idea where her boldness had come from, nor did she have a clue where or when she managed to find her voice, as unwavering and powerful as it was.

"That's enough! You're scaring Hinata-chan, and that is unacceptable in my books! You're supposed to be her best friend right? Then tell me why the fuck you're so pissed about her hitching a ride out here? Or is it _me_ that you feel threatened by? The fact that I can stand in front of you, and defend the very person you wish to hurt. Is that it? Are you affronted by me?"

"I am no such thing, _so get out of my fucking way_, or I'll see to it that you get hurt."

Sasuke spat vehemently, his eyes flashing crimson in the fluorescent lighting of the servo station as he took a rigid step forward, toward where Sakura currently stood; although she was alarmed, she stayed firm in her belief, and refused to budge even an inch.

"Enough! Sasuke-kun! Yamete! I'll tell you, alright? So please leave Sakura-chan alone!"

With that, Hinata scooted from her place behind Sakura, grabbing hold of the taller man's wrist before unceremoniously dragging him to a place where they could be alone, leaving the rosette to wander idly by.

Damn it all.

"Ugh, time to pay for a fucking bill!"

She resisted the urge to smash private property with a pretty scowl embedded in her features.

* * *

"Um, excuse me!"

Sakura shouted over the loud thrum of pulsating Korean pop music, occasionally nodding her head along with the beats produced; if anything could be said about K-Pop, it had to be almost as good as Japanese pop music, especially since it was one of the few other languages that Sakura could speak quite fluently.

After about half an hour of yelling in quite an unladylike fashion, Sakura had just about had enough. Raising her fist into the air above her, the rosette barely managed to catch their attention before she finally brought it down upon the desktop, a loud _'crack!'_ echoing over the annoyingly problematic beats; the force of her punch was so great that the young teen that had been so avidly twirling around her offices space collided smack-bang with the stereo system, thwacking several random buttons and ultimately making the song selection shift to random.

As soon as she realised that she had a customer, of course, the girl's eyes widened significantly, before she spun on her heel in time to switch of the player altogether; about fucking time too!

"G-Gomenesai, Miss!"

The teen exclaimed apologetically, her accent thick with something notably foreign...

"I take it from your song choice that you're naturally of Korean birth?"

Sakura questioned with an impatient smile, her tired figure wilting against the tall desk in the hopes of gaining some much needed support; with this recognition, the girl's eyes instantly lit up, ablaze with happiness as she nodded avidly, quite excited by the discovery.

"Hai, I am! My name is Ae-cha Oksun! My Japanese isn't very good, but I do try, Miss...?"

"Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

Sakura offered with a smile, outstretching her hand so that she could shake with the obviously ecstatic teenage girl.

"Wow, what a beautiful name! It means 'Spring cherry blossom', right?"

"Hai, it does."

Although Sakura was exhausted, she was pleased to be able to meet someone with manners, and that was actually sociable (a/n: she refers to Sasuke, not Hinata), and so the contact was more than welcomed. As if almost suddenly remembering something, the young girl straightened, an expression of complete astuteness and professionalism plastering itself to her features as she spoke as collectedly as she could (for someone that had only just seconds ago been gushing to one of her potential customers).

"I apologise for the wait. Is there anything I can do for you, Haruno-san?"

"Yes, actually, there is, Aecha-chan!" Sakura stressed carefully, making sure to pronounce her name to the best of her abilities (even if she was fluent in the language, that didn't mean that she had perfect enunciation skills), before letting out what she had intended to earlier.

"I was looking on getting a room actually, for a friend and I to share—"

"That won't be necessary."

Sakura's head snapped up to meet the stolid gaze of Hinata's close friend Sasuke, said aforementioned woman clinging to his side with a shy, small smile (the rosette ignored that hand that was firmly clutched around Hinata's waist). Oh did she _loathe_ this man!

"What makes you say that, whatever your name was?"

Sakura questioned sardonically, a vein twitching beneath her eye as she watched his A-class (she figured as much) smirk tug at his thin lips.

"Uchiha Sasuke. And I say this because Hinata will be leaving with _me_, not _you_, a complete and utter _stranger_."

Okay, he was _really_ pushing at the wrong buttons!

"A stranger that doesn't treat her like shit, unlike a _certain_ _someone_! And who ever asked for _your_ name?" Sakura grit out angrily, glaring at him through thin slits.

"Besides, it's _too_ _late_ to be heading out on the road right now, so the least you could do is let her rest for the night! Inconsiderate bastard...!"

The pinkette murmured the last bit, but even then he could decipher what had been said, and he didn't seem very pleased about it, in the slightest.

"What did you just—?"

"Sasuke-kun! T-That's enough! S-Sakura-chan, t-thank you f-for everything, t-the k-kindness that y-you showed m-me! I-I don't d-deserve such a g-good friend! B-But I-I haven't s-seen S-Sasuke-kun in so long, a-and I-I would l-like to s-spend m-more t-time with h-him."

Hinata stuttered softly, her eyes soft as she took Sakura's hand and gave it a squeeze, before returning to Sasuke's side, intent on leaving; Sakura didn't know how it had happened, but before she could even register it, she called out after them something that left them all stunned and incapable of speech.

"Matte! If you want to stay together, then _I_ can take you wherever you need to go! It'd be easier on all of us anyways, and more so convenient!"

Maybe it was the desperation for human interaction that was talking, but then and there? Sakura didn't care. She wanted to keep the friend she had made, and if that involved keeping the world's biggest ass as well, then so be it; she'd just tough it out for the sake of Hinata.

"You'd really go that far for us?"

_'You, yes, that jackass? Fuck no.'_

Sakura couldn't help the tiny smirk that graced her face as she nodded somewhat complacently, waiting for Sasuke's verdict; after what seemed to be an eternity of waiting it out, he finally raised his stony expression to hers, both their thoughts mirroring one another's as he finally spoke his decision.

"Heh. Your call."

All that waiting for _that_?

Why, she could have gotten their rooms and been asleep by now! Almost growling at his response—which of course was accompanied by his infamous smirk (Sakura got this feeling that that was a regular occurrence; if so, it was going to piss her off to no fucking ends)—Sakura stomped forward, tugging Hinata by her wrist to the desk where they then organised their room's for the night.

As soon as they were settled, they moved to their allocated area, Hinata heading into the room she was to share with Sakura (the pinkette didn't want to risk rape with a seedy guy like Sasuke), whilst the rosette quickly finished off the paperwork (as well as her conversation with Ae-cha) that was required to be filled out before she could finally get some much needed sleep.

"Please rest well this evening, Sakura-chan!"

Ae-cha exclaimed with a huge grin, her dark eyes alight as she took both of the pink haired woman's hands in hers, squeezing them as if they were already great friends (Sakura couldn't help but feel attached to the elfin Korean girl), before she skipped off to turn her music back up on full volume; some people just never learned! Smiling in mordant amusement, Sakura headed off to her shared room, passing the creepiest hallway she had ever thought plausible.

She didn't know why, but it just... totally, entirely freaked her out to no ends.

Juddering rather suddenly, Sakura raised her hand to the doorknob, intent on opening the door to her room, when all of a sudden a hand shot out of the darkness of the shadows, grasping her wrist almost brutally. Smoke wafted to her nostrils, burning their way into her system as she turned to the source of it.

"I should have known. You _are_ aware that smoking will _kill_ you, right Uchiha?"

Smirking in reply, Sasuke simply inhaled deeply, before letting another puff of smog smack her in the face, causing her to cough and splutter at the odour and taste of it; it made her wonder how something so obviously repulsive was so addictive.

Shrugging off her ponderings, Sakura tore her wrist from his steely grip, cradling it lightly to her full chest as she assessed his reaction; he seemed mellow, quite at ease with their current isolation—they were completely alone.

"You should be afraid of me, y'know."

Sasuke stated idly, not as a fact, but a simple evaluation, something that he was recommending she consider in future in case of any further discrepancies; snorting with mild amusement, Sakura rolled her eyes, before replying the obvious.

"That's what they _all_ say, jackass."

But there was a lingering tension, a feeling that Sakura just couldn't shake off, a burning that could not be placed; somehow, in the back of Sakura's mind, she _knew_ he was right. She _should_ be afraid of him. But she _wasn't_. That was the key difference between her inner, and her outer; at times one would have more spunk than the other, but whenever it came down to trusting another's judgement, Sakura couldn't go past her inner self—she always knew right from wrong.

_Until now_.

There _was_ something about him, undeniably so... but there was something else that made Sakura immediately trust him, as if she could place her life in his hands, and he would instinctively protect it. Either that, or he'd crush it at the opportune moment. She'd like to think otherwise.

The humourless chuckle that broke the eerie silence raised the hairs on Sakura's arms as he took a final drag from the cigarette, before disposing of it in the nearest pot-plant (wasn't there a law against that sort of thing?).

"You... tch! You have _no_ _idea_ what I'm capable of, do you?"

When he received no reply, he found his smirk only growing to the point of his expression bordering something twisted, sadistically psychopathic, as he slowly sauntered to where Sakura stood, suddenly petrified with fear.

_Step! _

_Step! _

_Step!_

He stopped only inches from her frame, a regal hand reaching out to brush the hair from her face, only to be seconds later yanking her head backwards so that her neck was completely exposed, and so that her eyes were staring directly up into his.

Leaning down with an evil glint in his eyes, Sasuke brushed his lips by the corner of her mouth, the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he slowly traced the tip of his inquisitive tongue over the flesh of her left cheek, teasing the muscle so that it stopped just beneath her bottom lip (how is it that she hadn't noticed the black snakebites he had pierced through his lower chin, just beneath his full bottom lip?). Sakura's breathing had turned ragged as she struggled to regain her composure; it was hard to be standing within such close proximity of a man that looked as delectably sexy as he did, after all.

Stuttering over her gasps, Sakura tried in vain to tear away from him, only to feel the smooth harshness of his teeth nipping at her neck, biting hard enough to draw blood, before suckling at the wound, leaving nasty purple bruises in its wake; it was shameful to say that she moaned at the contact (she hadn't engaged in any sort of sexual activity for the past three or so years).

Feeling the smirk of the somewhat triumphant Uchiha against the hollow of her throat, Sakura resumed struggling, only to have a large, strong hand cup the swell of one of her breasts, tenderly groping and fondling at first, before grasping it in a bruising hold, a pained whimper leaving Sakura's lips as she felt him withdraw from her neck, only to press his lips to the shell of her ear, his wet breaths sending sparks down her spine as she tried in vain to collect herself.

"See what I mean? Don't make assumptions simply 'cause of outer aesthetics. Otherwise..."

As if you accentuate his claim, he nipped at her earlobe, sucking on it roughly as he went back to roughly squeezing her breast, another mewl of protest leaving her lips. Once he removed his mouth from her lobe, he finished his sentence, leaving her utterly dumbfounded and baffled.

"You're gonna end up in situations where you'll lose everything dear to you in one foul swoop."

With that he removed himself from her trembling figure, her face ashen and gaunt as she gazed at him through wide emerald pearls; turning on his heel, Sasuke strode towards his room's door (across the hallway from hers and Hinata's), stopping only as he was about to close it in her face, so to speak.

"A lesson for you to learn is to never be too trusting of your companions, especially if you do not know them personally, something that I have had to keep telling myself over and over again."

With that, his door came to a close, leaving Sakura with nothing else to do but to head into her room; the minute she closed the door, she slid to the floor, leaning against the wooden barricade as she felt her legs tremor heavily, her hand instantly darting down to her drenched sex—was that all it took for her to be aroused, or was it something about _him_ that had her this hot and bothered?

Making sure that Hinata was well as truly in deep slumber, the rosette slipped her hand into her soaked panties, biting her lip to stifle her moans as she stroked herself to orgasm, the entire time denying the images of _his_ face filling her mind, denying that _that_ was the reason as to why she was doing what she was in the first place.

The entire time she touched herself, she pretended that it was _him_ pleasuring her, and not herself.

* * *

"'_Tteonaga… YEAH… FINALLY I REALIZED… THAT I'M NOTHING WITHOUT YOU… I WAS SO WRONG, FORGIVE ME! Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah!'_"

Ae-cha sung along idly to the lyrics of her all time favourite song, unknowing to the danger that lurked in the otherwise darkened room; the predator's eyes shone with sadistic pleasure, his tongue tracing the contours of his own lips as he pictured his wildest fantasy playing out once again.

Smiling with that same callous desire, he slowly made his way forward, her music loud enough to completely shroud the sounds of his approaching footsteps; when she finally turned, it was already far too late for salvation.

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually, there _is_. I've been meaning to rip apart a pretty young foreigner for a while now."

"AAAAIIIIEEEEAAARRRGHHH!"

* * *

_Padocheoreom buswojin nae mam_

____

__

Baramcheoreom heundeullineun nae mam

Yeongicheoreom sarajin nae sarang

Munsincheoreom jiwojijiga anha

Hansumman ttangi kkeojira swijyo

...

__

__

My broken heart like a wave

My shaken heart like a wind

My heart vanished like smoke…

It can't be removed like a tattoo

I sigh deeply as if a ground is going to cave in

Only dusts are piled up in my mind

SAY GOODBYE!

...

Nae gaseumsogen meonjiman ssahijyo

SAY GOODBYE!

* * *

**a/n: Muahahaha, the murders begin! XD **

**I hope this was more to standard guys! **

**Please review! **

**Now, onto updating on more of the favourites within my stories! (:  
**

**Until next time then!  
**

**Ja ne! x)  
**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***


	4. The First Murder

**a/n: Wow, chapter four and I **_**already**_** have forty-three reviews! Seriously guys, you're all amazing; I couldn't do this without you. So for that alone (you all being awesome and all that jazz), I bring you the continuation of last chapter! Please enjoy! ;D **

**WARNING: This chapter can be considered quite gruesome, and I have done my best to go into impeccable detail; if you are by any chance squeamish about gore in any way, shape or form, then I advise you that this story isn't for you, as there will only be more of it in future. Read at your own risk/discretion. **

**Disclaimer: IDNON, BIDHTOS! That is all.**

* * *

Chapter 4

The First Murder

* * *

_Blood was splattered everywhere, the girl no longer screaming with every sharp thrust of the blade into her flesh; her tears were only now starting to dry to her face, the glistening water gathering at the very rims of her glassy, lifeless eyes as she stared up at her tormentor in utter horror, her mouth parted into a silent, never-ending scream as the blood slowly pooled around her petite figure, staining her crisp clothing a disfigured shade of vermillion—the life had left her completely. _

_But he was still not satisfied; he needed more, something else, to liven up the atmosphere—even the catchy Korean pop music, loud as it was, could not make him feel sated of his bloodlust. _

_He wanted __**more**__. _

_And more was what he got. _

_Removing the sharpened knife from her jugular, the man carefully composed himself, before dragging the young teenager by her limp right leg to where the pool-table was situated, the entire place devoid of human interaction; he had the area to himself. Grabbing the corpse by her long, luscious hair, the man felt somewhat emboldened by the terror that still remained on her face, attracted to the utter beauty that he had brought out of her by rendering her no longer living; the lure her smaller figure gave off made the creature curious, anxious to see what else she had to provide for him. _

_Placing her gently onto the pool-table—after of course gathering together all of the billiard balls and throwing them to the floor, the clanking of the hard ivory against the tiling almost __**soothing**__ to his ears—the man gracelessly sipped his hands up the hem of her skirt, brushing his fingers over her still-warm sex before tugging at the lacy material, tearing it from her legs to leave her exposed to his viewing; licking his lips in that same sickening display as before he had made her his target, the man yanked at the silver zipper his pants occupied, his hand sliding behind the material only to pull out his hardened length, pre-cum oozing from the head's slit as he moved forward, mounting the young girl's immobile body, before he thrust in, relishing in the feeling of her heat, before he removed himself, residing at her opening for the smallest of seconds before forcing his way back in, her muscles naturally clamping around him even in her state of 'comatose'. _

_She felt simply __**divine**__. _

_Groaning at the friction he had created, the man picked up his tempo, to match the beat of the song that was blasting from the stereo's speakers, grinding his hips as brutally as he possibly could against hers until he felt himself shuddering, that explosive feeling curling in the pit of his stomach as he almost very nearly keeled over at the sensation, until it finally gave way, his seed spurting into her womb at a hasty pace until he had filled her to the very brim; grunting as he pulled out of her, the man gradually came down from his high, sighing at the almost full feeling he had received from that act alone—but it was still not enough. _

_There was never enough. _

_His need was insatiable, a desire that could never be completely quenched even after the most brutal of sessions. _

_Putting his soft cock back to where it belonged—inside his pants—the creature then proceeded over to where he had left his butchers knife, bloodied and pulsating with a need that even he couldn't have matched; the need to sink into another's flesh over and over again. He was only too happy to comply. _

_After all, now he had to get rid of all evidence, traces of himself, that suggested that he had been anywhere within vicinity of her. _

_Smirking somewhat sadistically, the man clambered over her once again, and without a moment's hesitation began to carve away at her flesh, slicing and flaying every inch of skin from her body before collecting it into a special esky, leaving it to settle against the ice—the once smooth hide was flecked and stained with the crimson fluid, flaking in some areas until all that could be deciphered was the vague outline of veins and clotted blood, the very same liquid gradually being absorbed into the cubes of frozen water until they were dyed red. _

_The butchers knife impaled more of her inner flesh, the man delicately slicing into the area were her womb was to be, carving around the uterus whilst ignoring the rush of blood that spurted from the incision and coated him in its thick embrace, before he all but sunk his hands into the bloodied mess, ripping the casing from her stomach before turning the same treatment to her birthing canal, mutilating her vagina until it was beyond recognisable; __**she**__ was beyond recognition, without a doubt. _

_Her innards spilt from her stomach, splayed on the pool table for all to see, her entire stomach torn open from the base of her throat to where her mutilated genitalia lay, completely shredded into indistinguishable pieces; the finisher was the fact that she indeed had no skin left on her, her muscle matter a deep scarlet in colouration as the blood oozed from every pore of fleshy under-skin, her eyes still remaining intact, with the exception that now they were shedding tears of blood rather than tears of secreted water—it made sense, seeing as there was already so much of it surrounding her. _

_The creature seemed rather pleased by his work, as he smiled somewhat contentedly, running his bloodied hands through his hair before shaking his head, the insane lustre to his eyes now lost for the time being; he was sated. _

_**For now**__. _

_Bending, the man quickly gathered the esky—in which lay the girl's womb, skin and her vagina's canal—before he slipped off into the darkness, no footfalls heard or imprints left behind to suggest that he had ever been there in the first place._

* * *

Sakura yawned tiredly as she exited the bathroom, a grim line plastered to her lips as she thought over the events of last night; Sasuke had been messing with her head, and in such a sordid manner it wasn't even in the vaguest bit amusing—how could he play _that_ sort of a trump card, knowing full well what it could so to a person like her?

Not that he knew anything about her sex life, but still, the very fact that he had instigated such a thing, perhaps even _knowing_ that she was slightly (she's in total denial right now) attracted to him, was a low blow even for him; but then again, on the note of attraction and the knowledge of said attraction (in which he used that very whimsical detail in order to manipulate her in ways even he didn't know; or perhaps he did...?), Sakura wouldn't have been in the remotest bit surprised if half—if not _all_—of the female population were insanely engrossed with his good looks.

That would be something she could bet her life on if she ever locked him in the room with a group of women, teenagers and elderly alike.

But that was to be saved for another day when she was in a better mood for mockery.

Right now she was pissed; _extremely_ pissed.

Not only had he flustered her in ways that she had never experienced before, but he had left her to fend for herself.

And more than once.

Just when the rosette thought she was finally free of his evil ministrations, his face popped into her mind, leaving her groaning in protest as her hand yet again descended past her curls to where her clit had swollen with want once more, her moans muffled by the cushion she had sunken her face into as she tried her best not to make too much noise; it wouldn't be a good look if Hinata woke up only to catch her masturbating over her best friend—talk about awkward.

Ruffling her long pink locks in frustration, Sakura strode across the room to where her saddle pack was positioned, already packed and ready for the day's long journey; Hinata sat on the end of her bed, running a brush through her silky raven locks before she extended it out to Sakura, a small smile plastered to her features as a polite flush spread across her cheeks, her pale lavender eyes eerily _knowing_.

It was as if she already _knew_ why the pinkette was so flustered, and why she looked as if she had been run over by a bus; Sakura shuddered at the thought.

Reaching out and thanking the ravenette gratefully for her implicit trust, Sakura raised the brush to her pink locks, in the notion of tugging out any knots that had made their way into her head of hair overnight when a piercing scream splintered through the door, its echoes carrying and raising the hairs on Sakura's arms as she snapped her suddenly very alert gaze to Hinata, whom also looked worried.

Good lord, what could have possibly happened to have brought out such a terrified shriek—?

The door was almost torn from the very hinges as Sasuke stood there, his usual cocky expression grim and dark as the words ripped from his throat in a guttural growl that further raised goose-bumps on the girls' arms and necks.

"Get your things; there's a murderer on the loose."

* * *

At first, Sakura hadn't known how to react to his news, and had at one stage in her deliriousness figured that laughing at him was the best call, but the utter seriousness in his every movement, the way he was rigid with some unknown emotion, was enough for the rosette to suddenly come back into reality and face the very plausible reasoning he had just suggested; but if there really was a murderer on the loose—and if this wasn't just a snide ploy in order to distract Sakura long enough for him to spirit away Hinata and her precious baby (A.K.A. her car)—Sakura wanted to see for herself what it was that had everyone so jittery.

Without any thought to it, Sakura darted past Sasuke, ignored his angered yells to not go down there as she went about it, darting around the corners of the hotel complex as she vaguely registered heavy footfalls from behind her, the pinkette's eyes widening at the size of the crowd that had gathered, and the amount of police that had been summoned to the isolated area—let's face it, even if the crime was serious, the cops wouldn't have arrived for at least a good three or four hours (going at excessive speeds, that is) unless it topped the scale of homicides.

* * *

Honestly, Sakura hadn't expected it to be to such an extent until she saw it for herself; whatever remnants that had been at some point broken down in her stomach were almost forcefully pushing its way up her throat—the bile and vomit (more accurately the gastric acid) was all she could taste in her mouth as she gazed in horror at the scene before her.

There was blood and guts _everywhere_; every inch of the room was smeared with the scarlet liquid, some of it still wet, as it dripped profusely from the whitewashed ceiling above their heads—the homicide investigators all wore black protective plastic around their bodies, goggles, gloves and masks clasped to their features so as to prevent the dribbling fluid from making contact with their skin.

It was a ghastly sight indeed.

A shrill scream came from behind Sakura, alerting her to the presences of both Hinata and Sasuke, the former clutching her hands to her now gaunt complexion as she buried her face in the raven haired Uchiha's dark shirt, whilst the latter stood there with an apathetic, almost bored expression on his face, his once crossed arms wrapping loosely around the ravenette's shoulders in what one would assume was a comforting embrace (or as far as touchy-feely things went for the indifferent man before them); Sakura was almost tempted to join the terrified young woman, had she not known better than to do such a thing to a) a complete stranger and b) after his latest 'stint'.

Collecting herself, Sakura returned her gaze to the morbid incident that looked as if someone had just delved into a scene from a horror film and scattered it all over the place, feeling the onsets of nausea and queasiness in her stomach as she finally saw the state of the body—or what could be claimed as a corpse.

"Good lord..."

Sakura murmured breathlessly as she watched the pathologists lift the fleshy cadaver from its position on the pool-table, only to seconds later place it into a body-bag, not yet zipping it as they examined the carcass for any signs of evidence, or perhaps to determine the sex of the victim—or rather _it_ as the case may be. Sakura felt her instincts kick in as she slipped under the yellow tape, police alerted almost instantly as she made her way to where the corpse was being studied.

"Sumimasen, Miss, demo, this area is off limits to civilian personnel—"

"I understand that, but I think I can help you I.D. the body." Sakura replied nonchalantly, professionalism all that was conveyed in her otherwise detached voice as she strode over to the analysts, her emerald eyes scrutinizing as she extended a hand to the team of pathologists.

"Ma'am? Do you think you could give us any hints as to the sex of our cadaver?"

The trainee of the group, seemingly the youngest, asked curiously, his bright amber orbs alight with awe as he watched the pink haired woman nod her head curtly, ignoring the snide remarks made by his fellows.

"What, an unexperienced juvenile would know more than a trained professional? Officer, escort this wannabe from the site please, so that the real authorities can get back to work—"

Sakura cut in rudely, her voice cutting and harsh as she retorted rather angrily, "And have you determined the sex of this poor victim, _your highness_, or are you still in the processes of identifying that information?"

The woman stuttered in a fit of rage as she tried to summon enough wit to outsmart the pinkette, but since she was already on a roll, Sakura would in no way give her the opportunity to do so.

"So you haven't already predetermined that this 'cadaver' is indeed female?"

Everyone seemed to be astounded, especially Sasuke, whom stood at the very edge of the tape now (Hinata had excused herself from the scene momentarily at his encouragement), slightly more interested in what was happening; so this woman could define the sex of the casualty simply by _looking_ at that hunk of torn flesh? Fascinating...

"A-And you know this _how_?"

The woman stated, victory washing off of her as she stared down her competition in an almost condescending manner; she was oh so sure she was the winner of this 'debacle'.

"You can tell from the shape of her build, the width of her hips, her height, the muscle structure and the size of her hands."

Sakura replied curtly, her eyes skimming over the indistinguishable figure before she added rather bluntly, "And of course the fact that there are fat reserves where her breasts used to be."

As if to accentuate her claim, Sakura made a gesture to where there were the vaguest of membranes circling the chest area, the fat having deteriorated thanks to the exposure until it had all but melted into the bloodied flesh.

"Although her nipples are gone, we can still determine this as fact from the rest of her body, no matter how... impossible it may seem to differentiate now."

Sakura ended after a long pause, her breath leaving her as the smell finally registered; it was rancid, putrid to the very core, and it made her want to puke had she not been examining the scene.

The woman didn't seem pleased at all that she had just been showed up—over fifteen years of servitude to her job, and a brat like her shows up and proves her wrong like it was nothing major—but the rest of the squad was, as they shook her hand avidly, saying their word of thanks before she departed from the area, in dire need of water, Panadol, and a toilet bowl that she could throw up into; the stench was really starting to have adverse effects upon her.

Sighing as she walked briskly toward the yellow tape, Sakura couldn't help but wonder who the victim was, and why they had been targeted—wait, scratch that, knowing a sociopathic psycho-recluse, they probably didn't define their victims unless they had a specific trait about them that made them appealing.

Shuddering, the rosette sidestepped the puddle of blood that she had come so close to slipping on, before she finally made it out of the danger zone, slipping back under the tape as she made her way back to the room, not for a moment noting Sasuke's enigmatic presence until he spoke rather unexpectedly, causing Sakura to almost shriek at the action.

"Since when was someone like _you_ able to I.D. a body so quickly, especially in _that_ state?"

Scowling at his degrading remark, Sakura simply snorted, before snapping rather brashly,

"Is it so hard to believe that I'm a top medical student/soon-to-be-doctor, or is it really just _that _unfathomable in your peanut-sized brain?"

Sasuke didn't seem remotely offended by her snide retort, but rather amused by it, before he reverted back to being as curiously secretive as possible, surprising her yet again with his comment.

"It isn't surprising, but the way you went about displaying that talent was. Normally a med-student couldn't pick up on such intricate details of the human anatomy as quickly as you did, so there has to be something else you're not telling me."

"And why the fuck should I tell a _complete stranger_," Oh yeah, using his own words against him, "How or why I was able to pick up on those 'details'? Now just drop it, and leave me be! You're annoying me!"

Sakura spat irately as she came to a complete halt at her door, throwing it open before shoving it roughly backwards, with the full intention of it slamming in his face for dramatic effect to leave her with the last word, but again he managed to do just the opposite, and instead caught the door with his hand (with speed that Sakura couldn't possibly fathom), a smirk playing lazily on his lips as he leaned against the doorframe, charcoal orbs smouldering with many emotions unrecognisable to Sakura; there was an awkward tension between them, only further fuelling the memory of the prior evening, of what he had reduced her to.

Their staring contest, however long it lasted for, was cut short, however, when a ghastly pale Hinata exited the bathroom, her pale lavender eyes almost a glassy white as she walked towards them, her eyes swollen and cheeks puffy and red with what appeared to be tears; she had been crying?

Almost instantly Sasuke was at her side, a comforting arm snaking around her as he held her to him, his eyes somewhat warmer than they had been before, but still distant as he immersed himself in thought.

"H-H-H-H-H-H-How c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-could s-s-s-s-s-s-s-some-o-o-one d-d-d-do s-s-s-s-something l-l-l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-that? H-H-H-H-How c-c-c-c-could... t-they... y-you...?"

Hinata trailed off, Sasuke visibly stiffening at her choice of words; or rather, the way she had ended it.

His eyes instantly sought out Sakura's, but it seemed that she was lost in her own ponderings, her eyes glazed and withdrawn as she unconsciously hugged her arms closer to her body—she mightn't be showing it, but deep down, under all of those layers, Sasuke knew she was frightened, horrified, at the prospect of another human being doing something so blatantly awful.

He knew _that_ feeling all too well.

So much so that he could never quite explain the sheer danger he posed; he was more than a threat, a force to be reckoned with... no... He was _far_ more than anyone could have ever possibly imagined, fathomed...

* * *

_Flashback_

_

* * *

_

_Sasuke stood outside Hinata's—and __**her**__—room, it being impossibly late when he heard it; the spine-tingling screams that __**should**__ have had him running to see what it was that had instigated such terror. _

_He did anything but. _

_That familiar longing, desire, curled in the pit of his stomach, something that he hadn't felt in a good six years, the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he moved forward, his excitement causing his hands to twitch and spasm if ever so slightly, so small the movement, in fact, that it wouldn't have been noticeable unless inspected up close, or if in contact with another; he had a distinct feeling... if that was what he thought was happening, then he might snap. _

_But before he could act on his instinct, he heard muffled moans from the other side of the door, his body naturally blocking out all other imposing noise as he listened intently, his ear now pressed to the wood, the action amplifying the sounds until they completely registered in his brain; the twitching stopped. _

_He felt himself smirking without even realising it had happened; so she was pleasuring herself, hmm? _

_Well now, wasn't this an interesting prospect. _

_His ego was since then boosted, as he continued to listen to her, ignoring the rush of blood that was currently stimulating him in a place that hadn't been sated in a long while, his former bloodlust lost in favour for the juicy noises she was emitting, muffled or otherwise._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Sasuke stood outside the yellow tape, quite surprised as to the extent of the violence that had been unsheathed upon the casualty; although in all honesty it only excited him more._

_So he had finally met his match, aa?_

_This was sure to be promising; it had been a long time since he had encountered such a thorough, yet brutal slayer; it was a game that he was only too happy to indulge in, a play that he was all too thrilled to accept, a challenge he was all but keen to step up to._

_This was sure to make for one hell of a road-trip._

* * *

_End of Flashback_

__

* * *

Sakura sighed as she placed all of the luggage—her own, as well as her companies—before she stepped into the vehicle, unbeknownst to her that a pair of intent eyes were drawn onto her figure; she was... _perfect_, indescribably so.

But there was something about her, something entirely different in her that separated her from his previous victims... yes... _she was perfect_.

He had been meaning to polish his 'skills' for quite some time now.

Let's see... what course of action should he take now?

As Sakura took off down the virtually abandoned highway, she failed to see the glint of a brandished weapon in the window of her rear-mirror, or the figure that that stood in the middle of said road, eagerly making note of her numberplates, before slipping away into the shadows of the building—the building where his first victim had been laid to rest.

And Sakura?

She was to be one of those numbers too.

Soon... _very soon_.

* * *

'_It looks like we're gonna have some __**company**__ on this escapade.'_

Sasuke thought with a smirk, his piercing onyx orbs darting to the figure outside the car, a fair distance away, in the middle of the highway; he could see the telltale signs of a psychopath in the wake, the knife he held openly only signifying his confidence, confidence that he wouldn't be caught.

Oh how wrong he was.

Sasuke would see to that personally.

After all, it had been _far too long_ since he had killed anybody.

* * *

**a/n: DUN DUN DUN DUN! Muahahaha, monster cliffie! XD**

At least, that is my take on the situation as is! ;)

**Things should be getting far more interesting from henceforth, seeing as Sakura is the apple of this killer's insane thirst, so I hope that you'll be sticking around for that! **

**And more of Sasuke's past has been revealed! **

**Woot, I hope you guys are liking this so far! **

**So, if you really do love this story (or have a mildly piqued interest for this fic so far, whichever floats your boat I guess), please, please, please, PLEASE review! **

**It isn't all that hard! **

**Even a simple 'update' would please me! (:  
**

**Until next time then!  
**

**Ja ne! x)  
**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***


	5. Intrigued Sadist

**a/n: Hmmm, people seem to be enjoying this one... dunno why though... must just be me, I guess... :/ **

**Anyways, here's the next chapter, number five, and... yeah... FF(dot)net is being a fucking BITCH to me! Is anyone else getting static lately? **

**PM me if you have any idea what's going on with the server! (:**

**Disclaimer: IDNON, BIDHTOS! That is all.  
**

**Disclaimer #2: Nor do I own the song **_**'Iridescent'**_** by **Linkin Park**; I gain no profit from using it to convey certain emotions, just the pleasure of knowing that perhaps I managed to make another feel something remotely human. ^^**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 5

Intrigued Sadist

* * *

Sakura drummed her fingers against the steering wheel of her car as she vaguely tuned in to the music that was softly pulsating from the speakers, her iPod still on shuffle as she awaited a song that could perhaps take her mind off of the events of earlier that morning; no one had spoken of it—of that occurrence—and thought it simply wiser to ignore the urge to communicate and leak out all potential elements that could lead to mental trauma and scarring.

It was best this way, Sakura thought idly, her emerald orbs glued to endless highway ahead of her, not another soul in sight for endless miles as she politely blocked out the animated conversation Hinata had taking place with Sasuke; not once did she stutter in her sentences, over her words, which led the rosette to believe that perhaps it would be a while longer before the ravenette would be able to trust her implicitly with that very same conviction—until then, Sakura would be patient and wait.

After all, she barely knew the young woman, whereas opposed to Sasuke's disposition, where he was already familiar with the Hyuuga heiress.

Funny...

Sakura was positive that she had heard his name somewhere before...

Shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts, the pinkette returned her attention to the road, the thrumming of her fingers on the steering wheel picking up in speed as she moved them accordingly with the beat of the song; it was a fast tempo, to an English song she was only vaguely able to translate off of the top of her head—with the way they were screaming, it was hard to completely decipher what on earth they were going on about, but Sakura was in it for the rhythm and instrumental quality more than anything, so she wasn't particularly bothered by it.

As Sakura found herself getting into the song, however, it abruptly shuffled, signifying its end as a new ballad took its stead, one that she could understand as clear as day, and felt emotionally drawn to in every way, shape and form (so much pain, too much for her to comprehend, too many unwanted memories that she would have sooner forgotten than have lay in the recesses of her mind; she just wished that the pain and torment would finally leave her be, because she had already suffered enough).

______

* * *

_When you were standing in the wake of devastation_

When you were waiting on the edge of the unknown

And with the cataclysm raining down

_Your insides crying, "Save me now"_

You were there, impossibly alone.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?

You build up hope, but failures all you've known.

Remember all the sadness and frustration,

And let it go.

Let it go.

And in a burst of light that blinded every angel

As if the sky had blown the heavens into stars,

You felt the gravity of tempered grace

Falling into empty space

With no one there to catch you in their arms.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?

You build up hope, but failures all you've known.

Remember all the sadness and frustration,

And let it go.

Let it go.

(Instrumental Break)

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?

You build up hope, but failures all you've known.

Remember all the sadness and frustration

And let it go.

Let it go.

Let it go.

Let it go.

Let it go.

Let it go.

Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?

You build up hope, but failures all you've known.

Remember all the sadness and frustration

And let it go.

Let it go.

* * *

Sakura hummed with the lyrics, unbeknownst to her that she had just gained the attentions of a certain raven haired Uchiha by doing so.

* * *

He had been watching her for quite some time now, even whilst Hinata had been eagerly filling him in on what he had missed out on these last few years away from 'home'; it was only a bonus that she had fallen asleep, allowing him to study Sakura's features in further detail—as discreetly as he could have, of course—without capturing the redundant attentions of either of his female companions, via using the rear window from his place behind her seat.

She wasn't the most spectacular female he had ever seen in his lifetime, but there was something beneath all of those layers that made her intriguing to him; she seemed timid and uncomfortable around him at times, but when pushed or annoyed beyond her limits, she had a bark to her bite that amused the Uchiha greatly—something about her was sinfully attractive, and he wouldn't rest until he had figured out her appeal.

Because in all of his years, never had a woman so easily wooed him without even bearing that intention in mind; he had been reeled into her mind games without her even being the wiser to it—then again, it may have just been the exotic pink hair and even more lucid emerald eyes that had him sucked into her very being.

Whatever it was... he was determined to figure it out.

Sasuke felt his lips tug into a smirk as he watched the not-so-innocent action of Sakura drumming her fingers against the leather material of the steering wheel, remembering in complete detail the events of last night, after she had assumed they were all behind 'closed doors'.

__

* * *

_Flashback_

_

* * *

_

_He could hear them; the distinctive moans of a woman pleasuring herself—__**Sakura**__ pleasuring herself—behind the heavy wooden door. _

_It had been enough. _

_Enough to suppress his 'urges', which was faintly surprising to the raven haired Uchiha heir; normally such a mediocrity wouldn't have fazed him or his insatiable need for blood, but standing there, with the knowledge that __**he**__ had been the one to cause her to stoop to such levels of gratification...? _

_It raised his morale, and booted his ego sky-high. _

_No, it didn't surprise him in the least that he had that sort of affect on women (it __**was**__ his intention to get a rise out of her, after all); what startled him was the very fact that although she had claimed that he was an egotistic asshole (although she did not clear it with him verbally, he could read her like a typical clichéd novel), she was resorting to such a method, whilst in the __**same room**__ as his long time female friend—he would never let her live it down if either himself or Hinata were to catch her openly in the act. _

_Unfortunately, he wished not to see his dear hime upset, so instead he decided that he would gather this as ammunition against her at a later time, if she ever thought to do something foolish; that would be enough alone to have her bend to his every will—the thought was all Sasuke needed to stay in place, listening to the muffled cries that were recurrent behind the solid barricade that kept them apart from seeing one another's person, his smirk growing further as he heard the very thing that had bound now them together in their twisted 'relationship'. _

_"Mmnnnghh! S-Sa—suke—e!"_

_

* * *

_

_End of Flashback_

_

* * *

_

So watching those fingers—the very same that had been used as the instrument to her multiple orgasms (he had remained there in place all night, simply listening to her with renewed childish glee)—thrum against the steering wheel was giving Sasuke ideas.

That, and surprisingly enough, the slightest of hard-on's.

Which was quite honestly unexpected, since it had been a long time since he had found himself physically attracted to another; perhaps this was a good thing then?

Making sure that he went unnoticed (it was unusually depressing to watch her face contort to a mask of anguish when listening to 'Iridescent', but then again, he had ties to the song too, so maybe they shared some common ground) by the moping pinkette, Sasuke unbuckled his seatbelt silently, leaning forward so that his left cheek was pressed to the back of the seat she was currently inhabiting, his arms snaking around the bulk of the mass of synthetic plastic and snapping around her waist with such speed that it seemed almost incomprehensible; with that, his fun began.

* * *

Sakura had at one moment contemplated on striking up a decent conversation with the brooding Uchiha in the backseat (seeing as Hinata had fallen asleep, bless her), but since she could not see his face, she was unsure whether or not that would be a wise move to make, so she refrained from doing so, instead focusing on the song that was now softly tickling at her ears' canals; of course it seemed that this was not the correct direction to take, as in the next moment of mouthing the words to the tune that was spilling forth from the speakers, a pair of powerful, muscled arms wound around her petite waist, pulling her back so that she was pressed tautly to the backrest of the car-seat, her squirms of protest rendered futile as she went rigid with shock, one of his long, slim appendages manoeuvring beneath her skirt so that it was chafing against the covered flesh of her vagina, her thighs clamping together in the vain attempt to cease his movements.

They only seemed to worsen, as he simply eased his entire hand between her legs, all of his spidery fingers rubbing against her most intimate place until she shuddered and shook with the toe-curling pressure that was building in her sex; she had asked that maybe one day something like this would happen, but not so soon, especially since she barely knew him!

And yet he had the gumption to pry her thighs apart and stroke her like he would strum a guitar?

"I bet you're as pink as you are on the top of your head down there."

The arrogant, conceited—!

"A-Aaaah!"

A single, broken cry left her lips, one of her hands frantically trying to remove him from her without swerving off of the road, waking Hinata, or worse yet, both at the same time, but he still persisted, the remaining hand pulling her apart even further until he had complete access to her, even without being able to see her now slickening pussy for himself—he could almost summon a vivid mental image in his mind's eye, and it was that very picture that caused the tent in his pants to further engorge with blood, throbbing almost painfully as he trailed his fingertips over the very swell of her engorged outer labia, his fingers having slipped beneath the flimsy material of her panties only to pucker and flick at her vagina's velvety lips, tugging and pulling the sensitive flesh before he trailed further up, the murky discharge seeping through her underwear until they were weighed down with the sheer mount of arousal he was awakening in her, the calloused tips of his appendages meeting with that of her swollen clit; colours flashed behind Sakura's lids as she felt him fondle craftily with her bundle of nerves, raising her hormone levels to the point of her pulling over and fucking him senseless, regardless of whether or not Hinata was there—it would make little difference at the end of the day, especially if they were to sleep together at some stage on this trip (which she hoped for more than she should have been).

It wouldn't change the awkwardness of the situation having the knowledge from either witnessing it virtually, or whether finding out through another; either way, she would know, and things would never be the same again.

Besides, Sakura wasn't easy to get inside of—she always played hard to get before she finally caved.

But honestly, with those masterful hands, expertly playing her like a stringed instrument...?

She didn't know if she would have the will to keep her hands to herself, especially with the looks he had accompanying his sexual prowess; two drastic weapons playing against her very weaknesses?

Well now, Sakura wasn't so confident in her ability to remain in control after all, if the prior evening spoke any volumes; he was the cause of that, and now he was going to cause their imminent demises if he did not remove his talented hand from her drenched pussy right this instant.

Of course, he could not read minds, nor see her expression, and to top that off, the fact that she was moaning and mewling to every little flick, squeeze and pinch he made to her clit didn't help any; but she just couldn't contain them.

He was too good to have been real.

Sakura almost slammed her foot down on the break when he slipped a long appendage into her taut passage, wet and hot for his enjoyment as he twirled it around, the other hand no longer having to hold her now slack left leg in his strong grip as he stroked and fondled with her clitoris with that very hand, her thighs weakly rubbing together to bring further friction to his ministrations.

Sasuke could only chuckle at her reaction, running his tongue over the black studs of his snakebite as he caressed her hot inner walls, pumping his singular digit in her hole until further fluid seeped out, Sakura shifting uncomfortably so that he could dig them in as far as he could reach; from this angle, it made it an impossible task to reach her sweet spot, so the blissfully endless torture continued onward, the addition of another slim finger to her tight inner muscles causing her abdomen to flutter weakly, Sakura's eyes watery and fuzzy as she tried in vain to focus on the road ahead—it was already a lost cause.

The seemingly never-ending jerking, pinching, squeezing and caressing was almost bringing Sakura to her knees—had she not already been sitting that is—with want, but before he could end her suffering, a weak yawn resounded in the backseat opposite to Sakura, startling her into a rigid posture as Sasuke hastily withdrew from her, the warmth encasing his fingers lost as he brought the juice-slickened appendages to his lips, cleaning them of the sticky substance without hesitation, the sweet arousal carrying an unmatchable tang that could not be identified by the renegade Uchiha; all he knew was that he wanted more.

But right now, that wasn't an option. His fathomless onyx orbs glanced briefly at the now drowsy Hinata, who lifted her head from the tinted window only to yawn once again, stretching to accentuate her brief tango with the sandman (as well as all of her curves), before gazing at the two very alert patrons; one was increasingly uncomfortable, whilst the other oozed smugness.

What on earth could have happened while she was sleeping...?

"S-Sakura-chan? A-Are y-you alright? Y-You s-seem a-a l-little f-flushed..."

Hinata asked, voice concerned as she leant forward to place a hand to the rosette's forehead, only to feel her burning up.

"O-Oh my! S-S-Sasuke-kun, S-Sakura-chan h-has a f-fever!"

Sakura was almost tempted to clamp her eyes shut from the utter humility that had just been unsheathed upon her, had she not remembered that she was driving, and ultimately could not; she could already feel his victorious expression burning into the back of her head.

"Does she really now?"

Was all Sasuke asked with an arrogant smirk pulling at his lips until it eclipsed his handsome features (possibly making him even more sexy than before) completely, his obsidian eyes drilling into Sakura's stiff figure as he leaned forward, blowing a heated breath against the hollow of her throat before whispering a husky, "I wonder how that happened."

Jackass.

"Sasuke-kun, m-maybe y-you should t-take the w-wheel, a-and l-let S-Sakura-chan r-rest for a w-while?"

Before Sakura could protest to the action, however (seeing as the likelihood of there being a deliciously sinful action attached to that was quite high), Sasuke slipped a hand onto her upper thigh, her denim skirt still riding high up her legs as he squeezed the full flesh none-too-gently, blowing another harsh breath of air into her flushed cheek as he spoke again.

"Yeah. Maybe I should. Ne, _Sakura_?"

Oh my _Kami_, that was orgasm worthy, the way he said her _name_.

Nodding dumbly, Sakura pulled over to the side of the road, placing the car in park before hastily slipping off her seatbelt, discreetly straightening her skirt before sliding out of the front seat, Sasuke following her actions, stepping out so that he could take the wheel, offering her his place with that same cocky expression plastered to his face as he moved forward, intent on getting back on the highway; before they could brush past each other, however, Sasuke's hand snapped out so that he could inconspicuously tweak at her clit one final time, sending spasms up her spine that screamed for release (her nerves were literally frazzled and on end from the strain of the burning ache) even as she caught his suggestive leer in the rear-view mirror.

As he placed the car back into drive, and took off down the highway, Sakura frantically tried to end her suffering without Hinata or a certain someone noticing her turmoil; it reached the point where—thankfully—her drowsiness was enough to put a stall on her hormones, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop the lucidly clear dreams from haunting her once tranquil slumber.

* * *

Sasuke had stopped for gas at a petrol station towards dusk, the fluorescent lighting above eerie in its own right as he removed the pump from the fuel tank's opening (ignoring all of the irrevocably naughty, twisted thoughts it brought to mind with said action), placing it back in its stand before leaning back into the car to check the mileage and to grab Sakura's wallet; obviously the offending item ended up in her handbag—which remained clutched dangerously close to her privates-to-which-he-had-earlier-fondled-with-prior-to-Hinata's-rude-awakening—which honestly shouldn't have surprised Sasuke in the least (all women were the same, in the end, after all), as he reached into the now open bag in search of the object in question; once he had retrieved it from the clutter inside her shoulder bag, it occurred to Sasuke just how unusually beautiful Sakura really was—in an odd way, yes, but still breathtaking never the less.

And her peaceful features brought out the softer side of her; it had to have been her most feminine moment (aside from her initial reaction to him back at the servo station/hotel yesterday) yet.

A stray bang in the centre of her face alerted Sasuke to just how aware he had become of her, and how close he had now become without even realising; it was on a whim that he brushed the offending bang from her lovely china-doll features—it was also on a mere whim that he leaned in and closed the distance between their mouths, her parted lips soft and pliant under his as he allowed his hooded eyes to flutter closed for the briefest of moments, as if savouring the contact, before he retreated altogether, straightening himself before making his way to the register.

_'Just a whim, nothing more...'_

* * *

From the shadows, a figure lurked in the darkness, butcher's knife glinting in the dimmed lighting nearby as he gazed at the picture of his obsession, the apple of his eye; soon... _soon_.

* * *

**a/n: So... what'd ya think? **

**Ugh, I seem to have lost my mojo lately, but that can be accounted for via lack of sleep (insomnia does this people) and a rushed effort to update as quickly as possible in what little time you have to do so. **

**So... here I give you the fifth instalment. I hope that maybe it was up to scratch? :/  
**

**Anyways, please, please, please review guys! I seem to be getting so many for this! I would be ever so pleased if I managed to reach a hundred before my next update! (:  
**

**75+25=100  
**

**Please guys? :D**

**Until next time then!**

**Ja ne! x)**

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***


	6. Growing Tension

**a/n: Hooooooooo, has it been a while. Er, my bad? :/**

Anyways, I figured (so as to appease your appetites for an update to one of my withstanding stories) that I'd add the next instalment of AOTTM as a sort of peace treaty to you all, seeing as my hiatus has been, well, lacking. :P

Again, my bad (such appalling grammar).

Now, on with this twisted show, I guess. (:

**Disclaimer: IDNON, BIDHTOS! That is all.**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 6

Growing Tension

* * *

It was official.

Sakura was fucking _exhausted_, if the sluggishness weighing down upon her deadweight legs signified anything; it was like she was carrying cement shackles around her limp limbs, which seemed to be having a field day opposing her every demand to carry her with some degree of dignity to her assigned bedroom for the evening.

In fact, it was almost as if they were deriving some sick satisfaction out of making her cave in with the sudden weakness that all of her joints and muscles had accumulated whilst asleep in such a confined, awkward space as her car; don't get me wrong, she absolutely _adored_ her Toyota like it was her own offspring, but there were certain limitations that even she found herself to have—those very things reverting back to her desperate need for a scalding bubble bath and a cosy bed that her aching bones could melt into.

Somehow that thought did little to cheer her up, seeing as how she remembered just how far she had to go yet before she'd even made it up the first flight of stairs.

_'Remind me again why I let that Uchiha bastard take care of distributing rooms?' _

Ugh.

He'd probably done this on purpose, knowing full well that she was far too tired to even register the colour of her hair, something that she of all people had to have known; in situations like this, where she was subjected to the cruel subjugations that were obviously done with the full intention of prolonging her suffering, and when she was too tired to argue or complain, Sakura just wanted to throw herself out of an eighty story building.

Although that scenario wasn't feasible in the least, thanks to the new security system that automatically locked the windows the moment any of the sensors are alerted to an unrecognised presence; damn that faggot who committed suicide and stole the chance for many others in the process (some people could be so selfish sometimes, always thinking of themselves rather than the benefits of others)!

The rosette highly doubted that she would even _make_ the stairs, let alone _up_ them to get to the elevators (why they couldn't have any on ground level was beyond her) that were necessary for the other seven floors, and yet he had skilfully slipped away and (most likely) smooth-talked his way into getting the private seventh floor all to himself—and, well, herself and Hinata, but that was besides the point.

The point was, how the fuck did he manage to get so much money, anyway?

It just wasn't possible that a hitchhiker like him (stingy, uptight, conceited, egotistic, _sexy_—definitely _not_! Focus, Sakura, FOCUS!) had on him a whopping ¥2, 460, 947.19 (the exact cost for an entire level of that grandeur)!

Seriously.

That's pretty much the equivalent of _all_ of her life's savings with debts left over in her destituteness!

How was that fair?

And wouldn't he have been robbed for that sort of money whilst travelling amongst strangers? Hell, it was possible he _could_ have (_could_ being the key word; dammit, why did she have to be so nice as to extend her offer out to that bastard as well?) ended up butchered and flayed for a chance at such a large sum of cash!

And he had handed it over like it was an assignment due to one of his sensei; laidback, calm, indifferent to the fact that he held her entire life's _inheritance_ in the palm of his hand. That man could pretty much buy her soul at this point.

Ugggghhh, why was she so broke right now?

Oh, right, 'cause she had been paying for their every necessity (although half the things Sasuke bought could be hardly labelled as such; he probably enjoyed watching her waning wallet wilt to the point where it sagged in on itself, almost as if it were as depressed as she was over the state of utter emptiness that now occupied it), vital or otherwise, in order to curry their favours her way.

Not that she was keen on having the Uchiha male in her good books, but it was more out of common courtesy than anything else (Hinata could have whatever she wished because Sakura _liked_ her; the same could not be said for Sasuke, whom had tortured, terrorised and delighted in her growing attraction to him like it was his only real joy and purpose in life, and he fulfilled the role diligently) that she offered him a means of quelling his boredom on the road.

Unfortunately, crude, vulgar, _unsanitary_ porn magazines were _not_ what she had made ideal on her list of **BARELY** **ACCEPTABLE** **ITEMS**, to which had inevitably resulted in an argument so obnoxiously embarrassing (detailing certain _events_ that she would rather not replay, especially to the public ear) that she had caved almost immediately in order to salvage what was left of her tattered reputation; he had smirked the entire way to the counter, dark eyes glowing with residual mirth at Sakura's utter mortification as she handed over the rather scandalous (and that was putting it _nicely_) collection (more like _stack_) to the cashier, whom simply raised an eyebrow and cast a knowing glance between the pair—which of course boosted Duck-Ass-Fuck-Face's ego all the more, a dark, hoarse chuckle rumbling beneath his chest as Sakura all but shoved the cash at the younger man, snatching the plastic bag before storming vehemently towards her waiting baby, eyes brewing with angered tears of frustration and humiliation as she all but slammed the door after making herself as comfortable as possible behind the wheel.

She remembered distinctly the raven haired male reaching around her waist, calloused fingers brushing against the exposed flesh of her thighs as he pried the white bag from her bruising grip, his smirk glinting in the mirror and in the back of Sakura's head for the rest of the day.

That had been _before_ the incident earlier that day, where he had not so discreetly decided to up the ante and finger her whilst she was in the middle of driving them to their next stop; if she had swerved off of the road and killed them all, then she would personally see to it that her spirit would haunt him to hell and back for the rest of his eternity—though she was fairly positive that that was his destination already, so she didn't feel the particular need to aid in his imminent descent to Satan's realm. Not that she wouldn't anyway (why pass up the chance to finally get revenge for everything he had done to her thus far on their trip together?).

Sakura felt an almost heartfelt smile tug at her lips at the thought, until it fell from its place almost immediately upon arrival to what appeared to be the most daunting flight of fucking stairs (though they could hardly be called so; they seemed almost _never-ending_) she had ever laid eyes upon; and he expected her to climb all the way up _there_?

_'Did I mention that I fucking __**hate you**__, you fucking evil prick-licking asswipe? No? Well then, I FUCKING HATE YOU! DIE JACKASS, DIE!'  
_

"Fuck it! I'll just sleep downstairs then!"

Sakura spat irately, throwing her luggage to the floor at her feet before tenaciously crossing her slim arms over her heaving bust, which moved with her fast intakes of breath; she was quickly coming to loathe and despise anything and everything distinctly Uchiha, whether it be the money, the good looks, the grimy attitude (which he could most definitely work on fixing; and by fixing, an entire section of his ego would have to be deflated and stitched to a memorial that reminds himself that he was and always will be a royal bastard with a stick lodged far too deep in his ass to be removed without complex surgery), the taste in piercings and clothes, the deep baritone in his smooth voice, and oh good lord she was ranting about how perfect (if you excluded the personality disorder [the one that made him a socially retarded retard]) he was!

The Apocalypse must be upon us all! Feeling the last strings of her temper snapping, Sakura went to make herself comfortable against the wall at the foot of the stairs, her bags being used as cushions (uncomfortable, but better than nothing), when a dark shadow inked out any light that she had been previously receiving, her dull green eyes wandering up their—very toned—figure, until she locked gazes with none other than the very man she wished to send to hell and strangle with his own ego (perhaps even ripping that awfully long pole from his rectum and stabbing him to death with it; here's to shedding any self-conceited imagery by literally killing them with it).

Uchiha Sasuke.

Ugh.

That name.

Even that was sexy.

And there she was again, complimenting him (and ultimately boosting his ego to inconceivable proportions, not that it wasn't already there) without her consent.

Stupid, stupid pheromones, making him so fucking appealing!

Why did _that_ ass have to be her exact type?

Scowling darkly up at the now smirking male, Sakura tore her gaze away, instead opting for ignoring him until he magically took the hint and left her be; of course, him being a male (and therefore the inferior sex in her eyes) made him naturally persistent and oblivious (though she could hardly give him that; he was too clever for his own good, and was probably using that very weakness of hers to his advantage) to her discomfort and general loathing of him being anywhere within a miles radius of her, as he continued to close the distance between them, his tall frame dwarfing hers (not that sitting down made a difference when it came to the sheer gap in height between them) until she was obscured in shadows.

Why did it seem ironic that he was shrouded in darkness, whilst she remained in the light?

Whatever, that wasn't the immediate concern as of now—her problem was dealing with this stubborn mule.

"Kindly fuck off Uchiha. You piss me off. You annoy me beyond belief, and quite frankly, I'm too tired to get up and give you a free vasectomy. Or castration, it's really up to you which you'd prefer. Either way, this world won't have to be polluted with an infestation of miniature bastards that take after the even larger one before me. Now leave, before I really make an ass of you in front of all these people, and from what I have observed, it seems you're not all that crazy about public humiliation."

Sakura hissed vehemently, eyes gaining a rush of colour as her anger shone through; she was tired, cranky, and just wanted to sleep, and he was bugging her. He needn't even say anything; his presence was all that was necessary for her to chuck a bitch-fit.

And _again_, that annoying motherfucking smirk! It grew in length, giving him an almost psychotic expression as he measured her up and down, determining whether or not it was worth the effort of challenging such a train wreck into another of his twisted mind games.

After several moments debating in silence, he shook his head, the wry sneer never leaving his face as his lips parted to speak.

"Already assuming that my unborn, _un_-inseminated children will be bastards, hn? Tch, I can't _wait_ to see the vile offspring _you_ bring into this world whenever you decide it is so fitting; if they're anything like you, it's unlikely that they'll ever date, or even get laid. A sad fate to be resigned to, but that'll be the price that they will have to pay for being _yours_. And if anyone here is annoying, it's _you_. You're so fucking _predictable_; easy to read, easy altogether. A spitfire on the outside, but an emotional wreck on the inside; you're probably only loosening your morals because I'm the closest thing to a real man that you'll ever get."

Sakura was appalled.

Outraged, appalled, but most of all, hurt.

Extremely hurt.

Okay, so maybe some of what she had said wasn't exactly nice or appropriate either, but this was going too far. He was pushing onto unstable grounds, and once there, there was no real guarantee that he would ever leave alive. But before she could even interject, he harshly cut her off, the smirk on his face now cold and unfeeling as he continued on with his tirade.

"And don't think that I don't know about what happens behind closed doors, _Sakura_, 'cause I am more than aware that you touch yourself thinking about _me_."

Sakura's breathed stalled, becoming uneven when she finally found the will to bother with it; it was a sign that he was going too far, and that the onsets of a full blown panic attack were sure to ensue imminently.

He _knew_?

About… _that_?

**Oh** **fucking** **GOD**.

"I was there when it started, till the time you would wrap up for the evening; or rather _morning_. You know, I never thought it possible that a woman was capable of bringing herself to her own climax on more than one occasion simultaneously, and yet find herself oddly satisfied. You must feel tainted, _dirty_, to have resorted to such lengths in order to appease the urges that were becoming more prominent to me day by motherfucking day."

Sasuke's voice began to rise to alarming volumes, drawing the attention of anyone who was within hearing range; if he kept going, it wouldn't matter either way whether or not she killed herself on the spot—they would hear of her disgusting, contemptuous actions.

They would vilify and shun her—she would no longer have any pride left to hang on to.

She had to stop him, _now_, before this went too far, before the full brunt of damage was dealt.

By now Sasuke's steely eyes were narrowed, no traces of sardonic joking left in his features as he ranted on, rage slowly boiling along with a sense of sick satisfaction; she was about to choke on her former remark of public humiliation—he was about to see to that personally, and just to spite and scare her further, he raised his voice until it was the equivalent of a rampant shout, everyone's heads now swerving toward the assumed 'quarrelling couple' in interest of a brutal fight.

Sakura suddenly felt the intense stares of the bystanders' eyes on every inch of her form, scrutinising her in an almost calculative fashion as she shrunk down in size, no longer feeling confident or prideful in the least; she was about to get owned, and it would not be pretty.

"It's a shame really; had you been a little more decisive about who you were taking with you on the road, then perhaps such humilities would not be befalling you, as they are now. Like the fact that you were putty in my hands the moment I even glanced in your meagre direction; it's gotten to the point where you didn't even fight back when I fingered you in the car."

Gasps of shock, disbelief and horror were sounded, as mothers clamped hands over their children's ears in the hopes that such gutter talk would be filtered, or at least taken to another more suitable place; teenagers roughly sixteen to eighteen all tittered and pointed at Sakura's aghast, mortified expression, eyes alight with amusement as they watched on eagerly—very few had the decency to pity Sakura, and although normally that would have irked her to no ends, right now she wanted all of the sympathy and compassion she could possibly gain from strangers, and it seemed that it was the more elderly of citizens that looked as if they were about to step in and disclose the matter entirely.

But Sasuke was too riled up, too dangerous to be near in such a state of infuriation, and she would allow nothing to befall them; even in such a humiliating position, all she really thought about was the wellbeing of others.

Sakura snapped her attention back to Sasuke, eyes darkening with fury so concentrated that she literally shook with the effort of restraining it.

* * *

Whispers broke out amongst the fray.

"Oh my god, she's _so_ gonna cry! Look, she's _shaking_!"

"What a cheap _slut_."

"Tch, young people these days, have absolutely no sense of shame or self-preservation!"

"That poor girl…"

"I hope she slugs him a good one for that!"

"I'm not surprised she'd go gaga over a guy that fucking _hot_; it defies all reason if she were to be _un_-attracted to him."

"She'll go to Hell for such a thing, surely. It's utter blasphemy to hand oneself over before united by the hands of God himself!"

"Someone should stop this—someone should stop him…"

"Oh deary me. Honey, look, that poor girl, she seems so upset. I honestly can't say I blame her though, had I been in her position as well…"

"OHMAHGAWD, HE IS SO FUCKING HOT!"

"Lucky bitch, getting to tap that whenever she feels like it."

* * *

Sasuke had been listening intently to the gossip that was already spreading amongst the people; what did he care if he ruined his reputation if it meant destroying her and watching her crumble before his very eyes?

It wouldn't be nearly as tainted as hers would be; the name she would be carrying around as a burden for the rest of her life would surely shame her more than anything else ever could, and that alone was motivation enough.

If she was stupid enough to play with fire, then she was gonna get burned.

Except this time, he aimed to have her scorched to ashes.

"Heh, you hear that? They're already making callous, presumable assumptions about your general character; funny, isn't it, how the human mind works in such mysterious ways, having only needed to be told _one_ thing from _one_ person in order for it to be true. So easy to manipulate one's mind once you know how it functions coherently, is it not? Like the fact that most of the former remarks were degrading to you as a person, defaming everything that you have worked so very hard to achieve in your twenty-one years of living; the once incontrovertible character you had built for yourself and sustained over whatever period of time has now become disputable, been called into question by fellow peers and strangers alike. How does it feel, to be publicly humiliated in such a way? If it's anything like what you had in store for me, then I can only _imagine_ how you're feeling now will perhaps be what I would have mirrored as well. To be known as the resident 'cheap slut' of this building, the whore that'll spread her legs for the right price—what's to be sure of is you're definitely _not_ camera shy, nor do you retain cobwebs between those thighs—"

_SLAP!_

An eerie silence settled in, as Sakura barely held back the rest of her barrage, her entire frame shaking violently as she stood tall before him, yet paling in comparison to his intimidating build; time had seemingly stopped as his face darkened, obscured by his inky raven bangs as he gazed off to the side.

The rosette was panting, thickly, heavily, eyes hastily filling to the very brim with salty, searing tears, the sprites barely remaining where they were as she glared at him with all of the hatred she could muster—and without waiting for any more of his hurtful words, Sakura took off, darting up the stairs as if her very life depended on it.

And perhaps it did, after what she had done.

But that was nothing compared to what _would_ have happened had she not gathered herself together with enough sense to get _away_ from him; he was radiating nasty vibes, the kind that made one's skin crawl in reproachful fear and trepidation, so Sakura simply let her feet carry her away, to the very top of the stairwell, before she all but dived into the nearest available elevator, the sound of fast approaching, distinctly masculine footsteps travelling quickly to her ears quicker than she would have liked; fuck he was fast!

As the doors came rolling to a snail-paced close, Sakura could just make out the very incensed, dark expression of one stormy Uchiha Sasuke, who's ebony orbs locked with hers briefly, just as the doors clamped shut; the look in his eyes was enough to turn her stomach completely.

It was like nothing she had ever seen before in her entire life; sure, she had seen some of her closest friends mad, hell, she'd even been the cause of it on more than one occasion, but the sheer look of _promise_ in his eyes, coupled with incomparable lust for blood…

The pinkette suddenly wished she were back in Tokyo with Naruto and Ino and all of her other friends and relatives, rather than in the middle of nowhere where help was unlikely to be reachable in the form of the police.

As the levels gradually flickered up toward the seventh floor, Sakura began to feel sick; she had a really, _really_ bad feeling that something or someone was waiting for her outside of those elevator doors. How she prayed that wasn't the case.

At the signal of the ding, Sakura all but flew out of the receding doors, across the posh foyer toward one of the many rooms that lined the hall; perhaps if she called out for Hinata (whom had already retired; it had been Sasuke's duty to wake her and drag her ass from the car and into the somewhat expensive hotel complex—only now did she realise the error of her ways), she would—

A hand snapped out, clasping her left arm in a bruising grip that could break bones had that been the intention, before tugging her backwards, her body spinning around just in time to be met with a backlash to the face; it stung with such profuseness that Sakura was almost _sure_ he had managed to fracture a bone or muscle tissue at the most, and she was more than _positive_ that there would be a _corker_ of a bruise left in his fist's wake.

Sasuke's fathomless, vehement eyes searched hers with little interest of what he found, and it grew to the point that they literally bled scarlet; the irises no longer obsidian. He was a _demon_; the way his eyes glowed with such malice that he had transcended 'threatening'.

He terrified Sakura. He had been right. He was dangerous, more than she would have ever have guessed.

"_You should be afraid of me, y'know."_

"That's what they _**all**__ say, jackass."_

"You... tch! You have _**no idea**__ what I'm capable of, do you?"_

"See what I mean? Don't make assumptions simply 'cause of outer aesthetics. Otherwise..."

"You're gonna end up in situations where you'll lose everything dear to you in one foul swoop."

"A lesson for you to learn is to never be too trusting of your companions, especially if you do not know them personally, something that I have had to keep telling myself over and over again."

And now she was going to pay the price for her stupidity and ignorance.

Sasuke dragged her along to the far end of the hallway, Sakura dragging her heels, kicking, punching and screaming at the top of her lungs in the hopes that someone would hear her and save her from his wrath.

"LET ME GO YOU MOTHERFUCKING BASTARD!"

The raven haired Uchiha easily shut her out, his grip tightening enough so that Sakura sucked in a harsh mouthful of breath; it was a warning that if she didn't shut it, and _now_, he was going to break her arm before she even made it to wherever he was taking her.

But that didn't detain her from lessening her attempts of escape through struggling against him, her body violently jerking as he finally came to a stop in front a set of double doors; though it wasn't for long.

Within seconds he had it open, and with that, he unceremoniously threw her in, slamming the doors shut behind him as they automatically locked; sensor recognition.

It would only open to the MasterCard holder, and that was Sasuke.

Noting that she had picked up on the doors 'key-card', the Uchiha let out a haughty, sinister laugh, tucking it away in what appeared to be another technological device, that was activated by thumbprint recognition; again, Sasuke's.

The rosette quickly observed her surroundings, hoping that there was another way out—none.

She was stuck in here, with him, who could kill her at any given notice. Well, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing she feared him more than anything else in the world.

"What do you intend to do now then? Kill me? Do it, then. But make it quick. I'd rather not have to look into the face of my potential killer for very long."

Another sharp laugh cut through the thick, growing tension, Sasuke's eyes alight with anything but mirth; it was purely hate-filled… with undertones of something she couldn't quite recognise.

Whatever it was, she didn't like it.

"Feh, like I'd ever waste the time on something so messy and time consuming. Iie… what I have planned for you… heheheh… let's just say we'll get our fill of gratification, believe me… At least, I know _I_ will, anyway. Not so sure about you though."

Sakura did _not_ like where this was going, not one bit.

_Step! Step! Step!_

He crossed the room's expanse in three long strides, backing the rosette against the wall, trapping her there as he pressed himself flush to her, so that she could feel the prominent bulge in his strained pants pressed against the planes of her stomach; it was only then that what he was about to do to her dawned on her.

Before she could raise any cry of protest to his brash, uncalled for actions, Sasuke's mouth descended roughly upon hers, crushing her lips in a bruising kiss and stifling all the words in her mouth as the first rips, tears and shreds of clothing could be heard in the dismal solitary that was their bedding suite.

* * *

**a/n: MUAHAHAHA, MONSTER CLIFFIE! XD**

I know that this seemed like more of a 'filler' chapter (or at least that was the vibe that I got whilst writing it), but I promise to make up for it DOUBLY next chapter. Eheheh, smexxeh hate sex, gotttaaaa love it. ;)

Anyways, I was so pleased that I got over the review amount required, so may I ask that I reach another forty-two before I update? I know that it's a lot, but I find myself busier now this year than ever before, so I doubt I would be able to make another update twenty-five/thirty reviews from now; this way I'll have more time to perfect it, and it'll be extra (hopefully) long thanks to the hotSTEAMYsexy smex that is inevitable either way next chappie. :D

108+42= 150?

What a great present that would be for my very lonely Valentine's Day (seeing as Sasuke-kun has a mission, I'll be all on my lonesome… DDX). (:

**Well, until next time then!**

**Ja ne! x) **

***-Sasukeluva 4eva out-***


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